The Age of Intolerance  —  Last week, following the public apology of an English comedian and the arrest of a fellow British subject both for making somewhat feeble Mandela gags, I noted that supposedly free societies were increasingly perilous places for those who make an infelicitous remark.

New Health Law Frustrates Many in Middle Class  —  Ginger Chapman and her husband, Doug, are sitting on the health care cliff.  —  The cheapest insurance plan they can find through the new federal marketplace in New Hampshire will cost their family of four about $1,000 a month …

Exclusive: Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer  —  (Reuters) - As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA …

Obama Repeals ObamaCare  —  Under pressure from Senate Democrats, the President partly suspends the individual mandate.  —  It seems Nancy Pelosi was wrong when she said “we have to pass” ObamaCare to “find out what's in it.”  No one may ever know because the White House keeps treating …

Steve Stockman's Campaign Headquarters Condemned  —  Once again a member of the ‘Party of Personal Responsibility’ shows absolutely no personal responsibility.  —  What the hell is the deal with these Republican slobs living in filth?  First, we learned that the Rohrabacher family took umbrage …

Phil Robertson's America  —  I've yet to take in an episode of Duck Dynasty.  I hear it's a fine show, anchored by a humorous and good-natured family of proud Americans.  I try to be good natured, and I have been told that I can appreciate a good joke.  I am also a proud American.

DCCC raises $5M in November  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $5 million in November, its best showing in an off-year November ever and $1 million more than its Republican counterpart.  —  According to a DCCC aide, the committee had $27.6 million cash in the bank …

Federal judge strikes down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage  —  A federal judge in Utah Friday struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and due process.  —  “The state's current laws deny its gay …

Tomgram: Engelhardt, Washington's Wedding Album From Hell  —  Follow TomDispatch on Twitter @TomDispatch. … “Bride and Boom!”  —  We're Number One... In Obliterating Wedding Parties  —  By Tom Engelhardt  —  The headline — “Bride and Boom!”  — was spectacular …

Cards Stolen in Target Breach Flood Underground Markets  —  Credit and debit card accounts stolen in a recent data breach at retail giant Target have been flooding underground black markets in recent weeks, selling in batches of one million cards and going for anywhere from $20 to more than $100 per card, KrebsOnSecurity has learned.

U.S. Economy Begins to Hit Growth Stride  —  Stronger-Than-Expected Increase in GDP Fueled by Consumer Spending  —  The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in two years, as a recovery that has otherwise chugged along in fits and starts builds up a head of steam going into the new year.